U.S. Postal Service Warns Customers Not To Use Their Postal Mail Boxes

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

SF VIP
Location
New Jersey
I haven't used those blue mailboxes in a long time because I became aware that people were stealing mail from them. It also doesn't hurt that I live within walking distance of the post office and used to have to check my P.O. box anyway. The very few times a year I need to mail something, I just drop the envelopes into the mail slot inside, unless it was special packaging. https://bestlifeonline.com/usps-empty-mailbox-mail-safe-warning-news/
 

No problem with that out this far from town, but our mailbox is on a highway. A few years ago we go to get the mail and it was flat on the ground with a note. "Sorry I hit your mailbox, will be out tomorrow to fix it.". They never came back...had to fix it myself. We have quite a few "drunk" drivers late at night and we are on a pretty tight curve.
 

There are areas that the local post office had adjusted the doors to only partially open. This scam or crime has been going on for several years. The put an object with a really stick substance on it and drop it in with string and see what they can get. Others just break in. Some prefer what looks like a birthday card because they relatives wind send checks to grand kids, nieces, nephews etc.
 
My 200 unit apt complex has “cluster” mailboxes for residents near the main office. In big sections, so the delivery person can open & work on about 50 at a time. It only been broken into once since I’ve lived here, But a separate “package locker”nearby that people can access for a fee, for commercial UPS, FedEx deliveries etc was emptied once in its first year,
I love our USPS “informed delivery”, daily email of pix what if anything is being delivered that day. That way if anything is coming that might have any important ID numbers, I go there same day.
Outgoing: there is a mail box in front of a nearby office bldg that is reliably collected 4 pm every day, so I take non secure stuff there, but again,anything with important numbers I take to a PO.
 
In the US, I often see photos of a mail truck driving along and putting the mail in the personal mailbox at the end of a driveway. Does this still happen. We don’t even have this in rural areas anymore.

Anything that’s important, I take to the post office.
 
Geezerette said:
I love our USPS “informed delivery”, daily email of pix what if anything is being delivered that day.
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Yeah, I learned about this here on SF--maybe from you, Geezerette? Or whomever it was, thanks!--and signed up for it. Since that thing I ordered off eBay was supposedly delivered by the P.O. but I never got, I'm glad I did.
 
Jules said:
In the US, I often see photos of a mail truck driving along and putting the mail in the personal mailbox at the end of a driveway. Does this still happen. We don’t even have this in rural areas anymore.
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We still get our mail this way. We also signed up for the USPS informed delivery email which really helps. On the days it is only junk mail I do not bother walking to the mailbox.

It really bothers me that the quality of the service from the US post Office has really declined (maybe a misperception on my part). It used to be you could count on the integrity of at least that federal organization. One would hear of the terrible postal service in other countries and how you didn’t dare mail anything of value. But the USPS was trusted. Not as much now.
 
I never got any warning about that. But I did learn not to use outside mailboxes after someone stole my property tax check & put their name on it & cashed it. The bank did replace the money - probably because the thief did a poor job of forging my signature & their teller should have recognized it.
 
officerripley said:
Yeah, I learned about this here on SF--maybe from you, Geezerette? Or whomever it was, thanks!--and signed up for it. Since that thing I ordered off eBay was supposedly delivered by the P.O. but I never got, I'm glad I did.
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I learned about Informed Delivery here also. As others have stated, when something important is in my box, I go and get it but I don't go just for junk mail. I also don't put checks in the mail. I pay all of my bills online now and I LOVE IT!!!
 
MountainRa said:
We still get our mail this way. We also signed up for the USPS informed delivery email which really helps. On the days it is only junk mail I do not bother walking to the mailbox.

It really bothers me that the quality of the service from the US post Office has really declined (maybe a misperception on my part). It used to be you could count on the integrity of at least that federal organization. One would hear of the terrible postal service in other countries and how you didn’t dare mail anything of value. But the USPS was trusted. Not as much now.
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You're right and I haven't trusted the P.O. in a very long time. So much mail gets mishandled that it's ridiculous. So no, your perception is not a misperception. @WhatInThe I've been hearing for years about postal employees stealing greeting cards which may contain money. So it's sad that certain mailings are not even safe when mailed within the post office! With money sending apps so prevalent now, often there's no need to enclose cash or a check within a greeting card. Recently, I Cash App'd my late DIL's nephew a monetary gift to congratulate him for attaining his PhD. I Cash App my grandchildren the same way.

@officerripley and @AprilSun I've been using informed delivery for a few years. I notice that all the mailings don't show up....mostly junk mail and the Costco monthly sale flyer doesn't show on the site either.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
@officerripley and @AprilSun I've been using informed delivery for a few years. I notice that all the mailings don't show up....mostly junk mail and the Costco monthly sale flyer doesn't show on the site either.
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I've also been using it for a few years. Most of the time, it is correct but there has been one time that there was more mail than was shown in Informed Delivery. But, there has also been a few times, it would list mail that wouldn't be delivered until a few days later. Maybe that is why we used to receive our emails that would say "Coming today" but now it says "Coming Soon".
 
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